NANAIMO — As predicted, wind is causing some major issues for the region.
An unusually strong spring windstorm has downed power lines throughout portions of rural Nanaimo, leading to power outages for thousands of residents.
Lines were reported down in the East Wellington area due to trees on lines, with similar situations in Cedar. Trees also crossed onto the Nanaimo Parkway, between Northfield Rd. and Third St., blocking traffic in southbound lanes.
Motorists were able to clear the obstruction quickly and traffic resumed after about 10 minutes.
Trees fell onto the Nanaimo Parkway, between Northfield Rd. and Third St. on Wednesday morning with strong winds causing havoc across the region. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)As of 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, BC Hydro was reporting over 22,000 customers in the central Island were without power, at homes from Ladysmith to Qualicum Beach.
BC Hydro were not providing estimates to have power restored as of Thursday morning due to the volume of calls being received, however priority is given to larger outages or areas where crews can repair multiple outages at once.
The largest outages early in the day were in the Cedar/Yellow Point area with multiple large trees falling, bringing multiple power poles with it. Approximately 2,000 customers were blacked out as a result.
Outages in Parksville and Qualicum Beach totalled nearly 6,000 customers, while around 2,500 residents just south of downtown Nanaimo and on parts of Gabriola Island were also without electricity.
An outage west of the Nanaimo Parkway was also caused by downed trees on lines, with Nanaimo Fire Rescue crews standing guard on scene until BC Hydro crews can attend.
Nanaimo Fire Rescue watch over a scene on Cathers Dr. and Skaha Dr. with lines down. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)The City of Nanaimo also took the step of closing all city parks along with the Nanaimo Aquatic Centre Wednesday afternoon, as a result of extreme winds.
A wind warning remains in effect for the region with wind speeds gusting upwards of 90 kilometres per hour, according to Environment Canada.
The storm is expected to begin to subside Wednesday evening, however winds are expected to be gusty into Thursday morning.
“Damage to buildings, such as to roof shingles and windows, may occur. Loose objects may be tossed by the wind and cause injury or damage,” Environment Canada noted. “High winds may result in power outages and fallen tree branches.”
More information on current power outages is available on the BC Hydro website.
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